WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ATING KOOP PARTY LIST? REP. ISIDRO Q. LICO REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY SECOND NOMINEE, ROBERTO MASCARINA

Less than a week before Christmas, there was this published report of an "intramural" in the ATING KOOP Party List leadership.

It was said that the central committee of Ating Koop has replaced the first nominee, Hon. Isidro Q. Lico with the party's second nominee, Mr. Roberto Mascarina.

It will be noted that the selection of Rep. Lico was attended also with some dramatic circumstances and apparent recriminations.  It was also reported that quite a number of cooperatives-supporters of Ating Koop, then withdrew their support with the party list.

Later, a member of Ating Koop party list filed charges against Rep. Lico and party list president Fr. Mar Arenas allegedly about "anomalous" uses of funds, which was duly denied by the respondents in  a published statement.

There was also a published report of Mr. Roberto Mascarina charging an Ating Koop party list officer with libel, over some audit reports made.  We have not heard the last of this.  Hopefully, the charges were withdrawn and the matter settled amicably.

The latest "unverified" report is that Ating Koop president, Fr. Mar Arenas had resigned his position.

As to the replacement of Rep. Lico, I checked the website of the House of Representatives.  Rep. Lico is still listed as a member of Congress.  But there is also the possibility that the records in the website is still for updating, given that Congress is on recess as of the time of this writing.

The published reports that came out in Manila Bulletin, December 19, 2011 and in Tempo, talked of the alleged non-compliance by Rep. Lico of the term-sharing arrangements reportedly made earlier.


Hopefully Ating Koop shall have resolved its issues by the advent of 2012.  (END)